If there’s one way to sum up fitness instructor Yadira Gonzalez, it’s sunshine in human form.
Born and raised in Cuba, the 28-year-old mum of one has brought her vivacious Latino spirit – and lively Zumba dance moves – to Aberdeen as she works as a personal trainer and fitness instructor at PureGyms in Kittybrewster and Rubislaw.
“I bring uplifting energy and make fitness fun,” laughs Yadira.
“The compliment I most get from people is that they love my energy.
“Someone in the gym recently said to me that I seemed like a person who doesn’t have problems but that’s because I leave the problems at home when I go to the gym.”
Growing up on the beach on Cuba
Growing up in the balmy 30-degree heat of Cuba, Yadira enjoyed an active outdoor lifestyle.
“It was fun growing up in Cuba, my house was on the beach so we were always running about outside.”
But with fried food a staple in Cuba Yadira says she knew she had to change her lifestyle.
“I was a heavier kid,” says Yadira.
“I wanted to be an actress but my uncle said that actresses were not fat so that comment was the motivation I needed to get fit.
“Everyone in my family was overweight and my mum has health problems so I knew I needed to start getting fit.
“At the time, I was about 14 or 15 and I had a boyfriend who was very strong so I went with him to the gym and I haven’t stopped going since.”
Jet setting lifestyle
With her Mexican husband working for an oil company, Yadira has spent much of her adult life travelling the world, living in Mexico, London and Abu Dhabi before more recently moving to Aberdeen at the end of last year.
As well as her infectious personality, Yadira has also brought a wealth of international personal training experience to the Granite City.
“My first personal training job was in Abu Dhabi which was very interesting as their culture is very different,” says Yadira.
“I really loved working over there.”
Life in Abu Dhabi
It was while living in Abu Dhabu during the coronavirus lockdown when Yadira gave birth to her son Arduro.
“It was really tough as because I was pregnant I was in a higher risk group so I wasn’t really allowed to go out so I gained a lot of weight,” says Yadira.
After having her son, Yadira slowly but surely got fit again, losing about 40kg in the process.
“I was very overweight and I didn’t like it so I made the commitment that I was going to lose all the weight I gained,” says Yadira.
“But when you’re breastfeeding you can’t go on any crazy diets so it was slowly but I did lose the 40kg I had put on.
“I went from an extra large dress size to a small.
“I started doing spinning as because I had a caesarean you can’t do high impact exercise so I took a spinning, Zumba and I eventually I went back to the gym to do fitness classes like body attack and functional fitness.”
Supporting mums to get back into fitness
Feeling fitter and stronger than ever, Yadira is now on a mission to help other new mums follow her lead.
“I like helping first time mums,” says Yadira.
“If they’re not happy with what they see in the mirror, I know how that feels.
“I want to show them that you can get fit again and I’ll be there to offer advice and listen.”
Although moving to Aberdeen has come with personal difficulties for Yadira, who separated from her husband earlier this year, she remains positive for the future.
“I’m very positive,” says Yadira.
“I try to focus on solutions and I want to improve myself.
“Self love is so important and is something I tell everyone to do.
“You should love yourself and do it for you.
“It’s not about getting fit because you want to look better it’s more about feeling better and then the physical part will follow because when you’re good mentally your body will be too.”
20,000 followers online
And although the gym is one of her biggest passions in life, Yadira is also no stranger to the dance floor.
“Salsa was invented in Cuba so I’m always salsa dancing,” laughs Yadira.
“I have found one guy who teaches social dancing in Aberdeen so I’ve just started going to his events.
“It was first time that I found a lot of people that dance here, I was impressed.
“I’ve been thinking that I might start a Latin night.”
Away from the gym, Yadira is also a bit of social media influencer with no fewer than 20,000 followers on Instagram.
“I was a social media influencer when I lived in the UAE so it’s something I’d like to continue in Aberdeen,” says Yadira.
This month Yadira will be based permanently at PureGym in Rubislaw, Yadira while she also takes one-to-one personal training sessions.
“Fitness has helped me so much so I want other people to fid the joy in it too,” says Yadira.
Wellbeing diary with Yadira Gonzalez
What are your top three tips for health and wellbeing?
Keep a balanced life, meaning:
– find the time to work on your mind (what makes you happy)
– your health (do any type of exercise on a daily basis)
– and keep yourself busy (with work, friends and family)
Do you incorporate health and wellbeing into your diet?
Yes, I do cardio, strength training, dancing and stretching in my weekly routine so I eat healthy during the week. I keep a good relationship with food because I allow myself to eat without guilt because I keep an active lifestyle.
Is exercise important to you?
Very! Exercising is health. It de-stresses the body, the mind, it improves your energy level, it boosts your happy hormones, it improves sleep and you gain confidence. There’s so many benefits when it’s done right.
Are there any other ways you like to switch off and de-stress?
Coffee time is like a recharge/ quiet time for me. No kids, no noise, just me and my thoughts. I am a very busy person, I literally don’t stop the whole day so I do need that me time away from everything and everyone. That’s normally when I sit, rest and enjoy silence. Actually, sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.
Can you recommend any wellbeing books/podcasts?
I feel everyone should read The Secret, also known as The Law of Attraction. To sum up it’s a message about focusing on positive thoughts because those thoughts attract people and situations that will be beneficial to you.
For podcasts I recommend: Generation Iron and The mindbodygreen. I suppose I should start my own, I have so much I would like to share too.
For more information on Yadira, check out her Instagram page @yadirafitfun
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